Feasibility of edible oil vs. non-edible oil vs. waste edible oil as biodiesel feedstock

M.M. Gui, K.T. Lee and S. Bhatia

Energy, 2008, vol. 33, issue 11, 1646-1653

Abstract: Biodiesel has high potential as a new and renewable energy source in the future, as a substitution fuel for petroleum-derived diesel and can be used in existing diesel engine without modification. Currently, more than 95% of the world biodiesel is produced from edible oil which is easily available on large scale from the agricultural industry. However, continuous and large-scale production of biodiesel from edible oil without proper planning may cause negative impact to the world, such as depletion of food supply leading to economic imbalance. A possible solution to overcome this problem is to use non-edible oil or waste edible oil (WEO). In this context, the next question that comes in mind would be if the use of non-edible oil overcomes the short-comings of using edible oil. Apart from that, if WEO were to be used, is it sufficient to meet the demand of biodiesel. All these issues will be addressed in this paper by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using edible oil vs. non-edible vs. WEO as feedstock for biodiesel production. The discussion will cover various aspects ranging from oil composition, oil yield, economics, cultivation requirements, land availability and also the resources availability. Finally, a proposed solution will be presented.

Keywords: Biodiesel; Edible oil; Waste edible oil; Non-edible oil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (147)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:33:y:2008:i:11:p:1646-1653

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2008.06.002

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